Makos, threshers
and porbeagles are never here on the north side of Cape Cod in any great numbers
compared to the blue sharks.
White
sharks are few and far between but are in our waters and obviously
making a comeback here
A minimum of 12 were spotted of Monomoy Cape cod in early September,
2009, and 5 of the white sharks were tagged.. They are a
protected species.
Like the porbeagles whites, also can withstand our winter water
temperatures. So winter attacks on seals off Chatham, MA
are not out of the question. A hardy white might even be here in
mid- winter. Whites can voluntarily tolerate water temps in the 40s.
June and
July: Blue sharks are rare
north of Cape Cod until July. During July they will increase. A few makos will
show up in July, especially the large makos, but more seem to be here in Aug and Sept.
July has produced some mako catches in Massachusetts waters where
the mako has weighed in over a thousand pounds.
From mid June through the
early part of July is when porbeagles are in the Mass. Bay area, and then again in the
fall, and winter. The fourth of July weekend seems to be when porbeagles are active and taken by
rod and reel anglers. They will hit trolled tuna lures and trolled striper umbrella
rigs.
Aug.
and Sept.:
We have plenty of sharks here, including world record size blues,
porbeagles and
makos. During this period, from Mass. Bay northward through Maine, the blue sharks
will overwhelmingly dominate all the other species in sheer numbers. My experience
is that an area that contains three thousand blue sharks may have only 8 makos, 8
porbeagles and one thresher. As you can see the thresher is indeed a rare catch
here on the north side of Cape Cod.
The south side of Cape Cod has many more threshers, and makos,
than the north side.
The south side has porbeagles, but there
seems to be more on the north side of Cape Cod.
These population ratios will vary from year to
year. The porbeagles prefer cooler water, and their numbers decrease in Mass.
Bay during August and September although a few will still be hooked, especially by deep
water cod fishermen bringing up a live fish from the cooler depths. Coastal
Maine with it's cooler water will have more porbeagles than Mass. Bay during this
period.
Oct.: Blue sharks
remain consistent through mid October; after that, the number of all shark species starts
to diminish. The exception is the porbeagles; they start returning from Maine
and elsewhere as the surface water cools into the low 50s. During late October
the other sharks are starting to leave the area for warmer waters.
Our latest mako
catch (353 lbs.) was on Oct. 28 th.
Nov.
and Dec.:
Sport fishing boats are usually not out sharking these months.
There should still be a few blue sharks around into the first week in November,
with an occasional thresher and mako possibly lingering in the area. By Thanksgiving
those three species (blues, makos and threshers) should be out of the area.
From Thanksgiving thru Christmas the
porbeagles have it all to themselves. And yes the dogfish are
still here, and an occasional white shark. The porbeagles will stay all winter. The water is
never to cold for the "beagles.
While targeting groundfish , gill-netters off Chatham and Mass
Bay will catch porbeagles in their bottom set gillnets. The first week in December
is when most porbeagles in Mass. Bay are caught in local gillnets; and some catches are
made only a few miles offshore. Some of these local commercially caught
"Beagles" have weighed over 400 pounds. Porbeagles can withstand water
temps in the mid 30s. Some porbeagles are accidentally
snared in gill nets in February in Mass. Bay. In the summer
of 2007 a 455 lb. porbeagle was taken on rod and reel and brought into
Scituate, Mass. It was the new Mass. State record, but that catch has
been surpassed by a 482 pounder taken off Nantucket on Sept. 5, 2009,
that is now the new State record. |